Tina, the Tina Turner Musical
- K107FM
- Nov 14
- 2 min read
Tina, The Tina Turner Musical is simply the best....
With a two-week run at Edinburgh Playhouse the highly anticipated Tina Turner musical comes to Edinburgh to deserved ovation.
Tina, The Tina Turner Musical celebrates the music of the musical icon while not glossing over her troubled backstory of a mother abandonment, an abusive husband and the struggles of finding a record deal as a solo artist. With a book by Katori Hall, Frank Ketelaar, and Kees Prins, the musical had its world premiere on 17 April 2018 at the Aldwych Theatre in London and the Broadway production opened on 7 November 2019. What begins in small town Nutbush Tennessee where there is a church house, schoolhouse, out house on Highway No 19, where people keep the city clean.
You with me?
Fans of the 1974 smash hit Nutbush City Limits will be all over this as this heralds the gospel upbringing of young Anna Mae Bullock played energetically by Lola McCourtie. Meantime a young singer named Ike Turner (David King-Yombo) was being uncredited as producing the first rock n’ roll record with Rocket 88. They met when Anna Mae got up to sing with the band unrehearsed and Ike saw the potential. He changed the name of the band to the Ike and Tina Turner Revue and they were off. Martin Allanson as Phil Spector would produce River Deep Mountain High to great success but Ike resented all the credits going to Tina who was the real star. Now married they had a violent relationship. The staged fights caused gasps from the Edinburgh audience, this was no dreamboats singalong musical.
Anthony van Laast’s choreography is reminiscent of that time and authentically created by the Mark Thomson costumes. Elle Ma-Kinga N'Zuzi is resplendent in both home wear to stage diva and recently seen on display in store in St James Quarter. Her movements and vocals get more intense as the evening progresses with clever musical arrangements by Nicholas Skibeck and reproduced in a wall of sound by Musical Director Sarah Burrell and her ten-piece orchestra as seen at the rear of the stage. Elle is one of two vocalists being Tina on this run and she gives her all with some challenging vocals on such well-known favourites like Proud Mary and The Best.
Of course they save The Best till last with an explosive finale and encore that had the whole 3000 audience on its feet, enthused and inspired by the stage performance of sound, visuals and spectacular lighting. It was simply the best.
Tina, the Tina Turner Musical at Edinburgh Playhouse until November 22nd
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